1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gas burners, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to a unitized burner assembly having a replaceable combustion cartridge.
2. Brief Discussion of the Prior Art
Burners for modern industrial gas furnaces are usually of such size and complexity that good business practice dictates that the burners function continuously over a long period of time without interruption, and when maintenance is required, that repair be completed as quickly as possible. The burners must also operate as efficiently as possible within design constraints such as the assurance of complete combustion and economy of manufacturer.
The prior art is replete with gas burners and gas burner assemblies. Typical of such prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,907 which discloses an infrared burner having a plurality of orifices. U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,735 discloses a burner assembly for producing radiant heat by discharging gaseous fuel at an angle towards the surface of a ceramic member. U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,622 discloses a horizontal burner having a series of vertically disposed plates which mix the fuel with air and distribute the mixture to the combustion area. U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,216 teaches a burner assembly having a nozzle with orifices for directing a gaseous fuel mixture along the face of a ceramic member to provide a source of radiant heat in a plane substantially parallel to the wall of the furnace in which the burner assembly is mounted.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,621,722 describes a gas burner having a closed end plate axially disposed from the discharge end of a mixing tube. The gas burner also is provided with a plurality of axially spaced discs forming circumferential passageways therebetween to mix and distribute the gaseous fuel mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 2,594,914 discloses a burner having a plurality of burner tips and a plurality of refractory bars upon which flames from the burner tips impinge, thus providing a heat-radiating unit. U.S. Pat. No. 1,771,623 teaches a gas burner with the fuel orifice sealed at point of manufacture to prevent subsequent tampering. U.S. Pat. No. 1,584,210 discloses a gas burner having a conical cap which directs the gaseous fuel flow through a series of circumferential slots so as to reduce the destructive effect of the flame on the end of the burner.
While much advancement has been made in the state of art relating to gas burners, improvements in gas burners are constantly being sought in order to improve the efficiency of operation of the gas burners, as well as to improve the cost of manufacture and maintenance of such burners. It is to such a unitized burner assembly that the present invention is directed.